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Wellington is New Zealand's centre of government and the world's southernmost capital city. It is also the country's cultural capital, third most populous urban area in New Zealand and home to many museums, theatres and arts festivals.

Calling Artists for the WARE Red Gate Residency Beijing, China

2 April 2014

The Red Gate Residency provides artists, curators, writers, and academics with the opportunity to create work and live in China.

John Lake on his residency in Beijing

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Wellington City Council’s City Arts team and the Asia New Zealand Foundation are calling for proposals from Wellington-based artists to take part in a residency at Beijing’s prestigious Red Gate Gallery, an international centre for artists.

One artist will be selected to spend three months at Red Gate as part of the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange (WARE) programme.

This will be the fourth residency at Red Gate. Previous recipients of this residency were John Lake, Ben Buchanan and Erica van Zon. Asia New Zealand Foundation Culture Director, Jennifer King, says the WARE programme – a collaboration between Wellington City Council and the Foundation – is a rare and unique experience for one lucky artist.

“This is an amazing opportunity to be fully immersed in the culture and art scene of Beijing and to develop international networks and prospects in China,” says King.

Last year’s recipient of the Red Gate Gallery residency, John Lake launched his UP THE PUNKS ZINE issue #1 on 29 March alongside an accompanying exhibition which will run for three weeks at Black Coffee in Newtown. John Lake said the exhibition is a direct result of his residency and says the experience in Beijing was no less than incredible.

“What is going on over there was mind-blowing to see first-hand. My project involved a lot of contact with people in the Beijing punk scene, and worked at establishing cross cultural ties through a shared love of punk music. The people I met over there were friendly, inviting and interested in the world outside of China. My time in Beijing has led to some substantial rethinking of my own art practice and its position in the world.”

WARE applicants are required to submit a project proposal with their application and to have a track record of group or solo exhibition experience.

The selected artist must commit to working full-time on art projects at Red Gate and host an open studio exhibition. On return to Wellington they will be required to share their experiences with Wellington’s art community.

Lake was selected on the strength of the project he proposed to develop while in Beijing and on his creative practice to date, having exhibited at the Dowse and Tōi Poneke Gallery. Last year Lake organised the UP THE PUNKS exhibition – a snapshot of Wellington's punk history – at Thistle Hall Gallery on Cuba Street. His Red Gate proposal built on this investigation with the focus on China’s capital city’s punk scene.

Applications are now open to visual artists for a three-month residency starting this September. Artists must email their application as a PDF to Arts Programmes Advisor, Katie Taylor-Duke by 5pm, Monday 5 May.

For more information contact: Katie Taylor-Duke, Arts Programmes Advisor, City Arts, Wellington City Council at Katie.Taylor-Duke@wcc.govt.nz or phone (04) 803 8021.